attention, he was noticing things. Changes in himself he‟d previously dismissed as being his imagination. His reflexes were quicker, senses sharper. And there was this thing growing inside of him. He could feel it, and it scared the crap out of him.
True Mates: Carol’s Mate
77
He didn‟t know how to deal with it or himself. He wasn‟t a man that was used to being out of control. He needed help but was too stubborn to ask. Help meant going to Carol, the one person who knew what he was becoming, and he wasn‟t ready to do that. Not yet.
Besides, he didn‟t trust himself around her. Every time he saw her, she was with some guy, or a group of them. The thing inside of him didn‟t like their close proximity to his woman. It didn‟t know, nor did it care to know who they were. It simply wanted them gone. The man in him was in total agreement. He hadn‟t decided if he still wanted her yet, but he damn sure knew he didn‟t want her with anyone else until he‟d made up his mind.
Finally he realized that this thing inside of him wasn‟t going away.
Swallowing his pride, he went to Carol to find out what he needed to know to deal with it, only to be thrown out. At least he knew who one of the guys with her was: Alex, her brother. That explained a lot. Unfortunately the incident at her house pissed him off all over again and messed up his head more than it already was.
It took one of his professors confronting him about his dropping grades to make him realize he‟d better get his head back in the game. He‟d come too close to achieving his goals to flunk out now.
The next few weeks he spent catching up on missing assignments and bringing up his grades. When he surfaced for air, Carol was gone.
He never thought she‟d leave. He assumed that when he was ready, they‟d work things out. After all, he was the one who‟d been wronged. Why the hell had she left? The semester wasn‟t finished. In another two weeks, they‟d be taking final exams.
If that‟s the way she wanted to be, then screw her. He didn‟t need this shit.
There were plenty of women out there. He‟d eventually find one that didn‟t make his skin crawl.
78
Zena Wynn
Mark made it through final exams. Not the best work he‟d ever done, but he passed. At this point, that was all that really mattered. Deciding to take the summer off to get his head together, he focused on work. His internship began in the fall, and he needed to rebuild his savings since he‟d be working without pay.
To make sure he didn‟t have time to think, he worked two full-time jobs. When not working, he exercised. He ate enough to keep moving but didn‟t find any pleasure in it. Sleep only came when exhaustion overtook him.
He‟d been doing that for about month when a knock came at the apartment door. It was one of his rare days off, so he was home. Mark finished tying his shoelace on his athletic shoe, grabbed his gym bag, and headed for the door, not in the mood to entertain.
Snatching open the door, he came to an abrupt stop. “What are you doing here?
I got the message from your son. Your precious daughter is off-limits. I get that.” Thomas Wolfe raised one eyebrow and examined him. Something about his manner made Mark swallow and look away. Maybe it was his focused gaze with those weird eyes. This man wasn‟t someone to toy with.
“My daughter is grieving for you, pup. If you love her and want her back, I can teach you what you need to know to claim her. If you‟re not interested…” He made to turn away.
“Wait!” The word leaped out of his mouth.
Tom paused. “Yes?”
“I love her,” Mark choked out the words. Like a dam bursting, it came pouring out of him. “I can‟t sleep. I can‟t eat. I feel like I‟m losing my mind. On top of that, there‟s this…this thing inside of me. It‟s making me crazy.” The look Tom gave him was full of sympathy and approval. “That‟s all I needed to hear.”
True Mates: Carol’s
True Mates: Carol’s Mate
77
He didn‟t know how to deal with it or himself. He wasn‟t a man that was used to being out of control. He needed help but was too stubborn to ask. Help meant going to Carol, the one person who knew what he was becoming, and he wasn‟t ready to do that. Not yet.
Besides, he didn‟t trust himself around her. Every time he saw her, she was with some guy, or a group of them. The thing inside of him didn‟t like their close proximity to his woman. It didn‟t know, nor did it care to know who they were. It simply wanted them gone. The man in him was in total agreement. He hadn‟t decided if he still wanted her yet, but he damn sure knew he didn‟t want her with anyone else until he‟d made up his mind.
Finally he realized that this thing inside of him wasn‟t going away.
Swallowing his pride, he went to Carol to find out what he needed to know to deal with it, only to be thrown out. At least he knew who one of the guys with her was: Alex, her brother. That explained a lot. Unfortunately the incident at her house pissed him off all over again and messed up his head more than it already was.
It took one of his professors confronting him about his dropping grades to make him realize he‟d better get his head back in the game. He‟d come too close to achieving his goals to flunk out now.
The next few weeks he spent catching up on missing assignments and bringing up his grades. When he surfaced for air, Carol was gone.
He never thought she‟d leave. He assumed that when he was ready, they‟d work things out. After all, he was the one who‟d been wronged. Why the hell had she left? The semester wasn‟t finished. In another two weeks, they‟d be taking final exams.
If that‟s the way she wanted to be, then screw her. He didn‟t need this shit.
There were plenty of women out there. He‟d eventually find one that didn‟t make his skin crawl.
78
Zena Wynn
Mark made it through final exams. Not the best work he‟d ever done, but he passed. At this point, that was all that really mattered. Deciding to take the summer off to get his head together, he focused on work. His internship began in the fall, and he needed to rebuild his savings since he‟d be working without pay.
To make sure he didn‟t have time to think, he worked two full-time jobs. When not working, he exercised. He ate enough to keep moving but didn‟t find any pleasure in it. Sleep only came when exhaustion overtook him.
He‟d been doing that for about month when a knock came at the apartment door. It was one of his rare days off, so he was home. Mark finished tying his shoelace on his athletic shoe, grabbed his gym bag, and headed for the door, not in the mood to entertain.
Snatching open the door, he came to an abrupt stop. “What are you doing here?
I got the message from your son. Your precious daughter is off-limits. I get that.” Thomas Wolfe raised one eyebrow and examined him. Something about his manner made Mark swallow and look away. Maybe it was his focused gaze with those weird eyes. This man wasn‟t someone to toy with.
“My daughter is grieving for you, pup. If you love her and want her back, I can teach you what you need to know to claim her. If you‟re not interested…” He made to turn away.
“Wait!” The word leaped out of his mouth.
Tom paused. “Yes?”
“I love her,” Mark choked out the words. Like a dam bursting, it came pouring out of him. “I can‟t sleep. I can‟t eat. I feel like I‟m losing my mind. On top of that, there‟s this…this thing inside of me. It‟s making me crazy.” The look Tom gave him was full of sympathy and approval. “That‟s all I needed to hear.”
True Mates: Carol’s
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